Saturday, August 30, 2014

It has been a few days since I have added to the blog. It isn’t because I was lazy, but was to busy visiting with people along the way. We are in Eugene as I write this. It has been a scenic drive with lots of visits with Monty’s relatives.

We left North Platte and drove to a cabin in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. We visited with Marion and Woody, They have a lovely cabin just north of US 40 between Winter Park and Granby, Colorado. The cabin is in the woods at 9,000 feet.

Marion and Woody were gracious hosts. We had a lovely time visiting them.

We had fun watching the hummingbirds,

The fox that came very close

and the deer just up the hill from the cabin

Since they are just off Highway 40, we had a really scenic drive across Berthoud Pass and Rabbit Ears pass.

From there we drove to Sandy Utah and had a nice visit with Pat, Marion’s sister.

Of course we had to take a picture of the Pink Dinosaur in Vernal Utah. Kind of reminded us of Pink Flamingos.

On Wednesday we drove up to Kaysville to another cousin Doris. She and her husband Dennis invited her sisters and their families to a lovely cookout in their back yard.

On the way to Doris’s home we drove by the house where Monty’s Mom grew up, and visited the gravesite of Monty’s Grandfather and Grandmother (his Mom’s parents).

The headstone marks a family grave site where not only is Grandfather Woodmansee buried, but his two wives, his parents, and his sister. I’m glad we took the time to look it up.

At the cookout we had a really nice visit with Doris & Dennis and also Loretta, Annette, and Rita. With some of their children there and their families it was a really nice visit.

Thursday we were on the road again toward Eugene. We drove through varied landscapes to Boise, ID.

We had dinner at Barbacoa, a lovely restaurant in Boise. It is beside a local park and overlooks a lake. We had a table outside. It was a little warm, but they had misters to keep us cool.

Our meals were excellent. Lamb Chops

and Fajitas

On Friday, we left Boise and drove to Eugene. We drove across Oregon on US 20 to Sisters and then Oregon 126 to Eugene. This is a pretty drive through high desert, mountains and then across the Cascades into Eugene. Leaving Boise we saw hot air balloons ascending into the morning sky.

Some of the terrain as we crossed the state.

Of course any self respecting quilter has to stop at The Stitching Post in Sisters.

That brings us up to today (August 30). This morning we went to the Eugene Saturday Market. This takes place each Saturday in downtown Eugene. They have lots of venders selling their wears.

Of course Ruby had to get her face painted, this time with a raccoon.

That brings you up to date. Tomorrow will be another adventure yet to be determined. Until then……enjoy your day and thanks for reading along.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

It was a nice day for a drive today. We had partly cloudy skies and good roads all day. Our first stop today was at the Nebraska State Fair, primarily to see the quilts that are on display there. There are 662 quilts on display. There were so many that the large quilts have to be hung overlapping.

This quilt was made by two grandmothers for their (our) granddaughter Anne. No awards, but we think it should have won something. After all it is our granddaughter (right, Janiece)!

Some other quilts your author liked. I like this optical illusion done in a quilt.

The quilt on the right is one of Katie’s and won a second place ribbon. it is an African sun-dyed fabric closely quilted on the machine.

Some other pictures from around the fair.

The Midway

The People Mover and some of the buildings used for various exhibits.

And of course just a few of the many food vendors. You name it and it was probably available either on a stick or deep fat fried!

From the fair we drove to North Platte. North Platte was once called Hell on Wheels when it was first founded as a railroad town during the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The Union Pacific is still a major employer with the largest train yard in the US. You can see the Bailey Yard in operation from the Golden Spike Tower. From here you can see “more trains than you can keep track of”. It has two classification humps where they change the makeup of freight trains. Each car rolls down a gentle incline and connects onto the proper train. In addition they do minor and major maintenance work on their engines. Some views from the tower.

Part of the engine maintenance yard and classification yard.

Engine Maintenance building.

View east of the rail yard. This picture also shows a typical corn field….another major industry in Nebraska.

The yard is 7 miles long and 2 miles wide. It operates 24 hours a day. The tower has other displays and a nice gift shop. Worth a stop if you are in the area.

We also visited the the 20th Century Veterans Memorial. Located just south of Interstate 80, this is a park that honors veterans from the wars of the 20th Century. That includes, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Operation Desert Storm. The centerpiece is the carved brick wall that depicts these wars.

In addition there is a memorial to the ladies that served so many soldiers at the North Platte Canteen from 1941 to 1946

In included this bronze statue

Tomorrow we are off to Colorado and a visit with one of Monty’s cousins. We are looking forward to seeing and driving through mountains again.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Well we are on the road again. This time we are taking a driving trip to Eugene, Oregon and back. We like road trips and seeing all the scenery along the way instead of from 39,000 feet.

The planned route is Norfolk, Lincoln, North Platte via the Nebraska State Fair, Northwest of Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise, Eugene. Then return via Twin Falls, Rock Springs, Cheyenne, and Home. Along the way we are visiting family (cousins) and of course our son Tom, Holly, and granddaughter Ruby.

Today was a very short day with a drive to Lincoln, NE. Our youngest granddaughter Anne turned 3 this week so we got a chance to wish her a happy birthday and some swimming in our motel pool. It was a good day.

Anne had a good time opening her presents. She now has a Bitty Baby doll. We heard on good authority that the baby’s name is Charlotte.

Some pictures:

Tomorrow we are off to North Platte, NE with a stop at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island to look at the quilts.

Monday, June 9, 2014

We are home after a fun filled three weeks in Western Australia. It is always fun to visit places we have not been, see new places, and have new experiences and adventures. But it is also good to be home and sleep in our own bed, eat familiar food, and get clean clothes.

Our last day in Perth was spent doing some laundry and repacking suit cases. But the day was not all work. We took the Red CAT (Central Area Transit) bus to the CBD to mail a package to ourselves and spend a few more hours in Perth. You can tell the CAT buses by the CAT painted on the side.

In the public art department we saw a series of bonze statues called Footsteps in Time that depict businesspeople through the ages. First represents the Dutch exploration around 1697.

Next the Anglo – Celtic settlement of the Swan River around 1829

The Discovery of Gold 1885 – 95

Post World War II European Immigration – 1945 – 55

and finally Millennium Man – 2004

and I will add one more picture that I believe adds to this public art, and that is a view of the statues with 2014 man on business.

We then caught Blue Cat bus to the museum area just north of the CBD. There we visited the Western Australia Museum.

The museum has a variety of displays including the history of Western Australia (closed because of the Dinosaur display), local animals, information on the aboriginal natives, and lots more we didn’t have a chance to see.

Of course we had to stop at the Ben and Jerry’s Airstream trailer for an ice cream!

The museum area also includes the Art Museum, and the State Library. There is a large public space with a large TV screen. While we were there, it displayed moving color blobs, short movies, and a live picture of the area with computer generated dinosaurs that appeared to be moving around the area.

There were wide steps, where people congregated to talk or watch the screen.

Later, on our way back to the hotel we say St Mary’s Cathedral.

On Friday, we flew from Perth to Melbourne where we stayed overnight before catching our airplane home. Then Saturday was the long flights. We flew from Melbourne to Auckland, had a two hour layover, and then flew 12 hours to Los Angeles.

Our last view of Australia

The coast of New Zealand as we made the approach into Auckland

We flew in the Premium Economy seats like we did going over. The space is wonderful, the food good, and the service on Air New Zealand excellent.

Because of the landing time in Los Angeles, there were no flights to Omaha, so we stayed overnight and flew home on Sunday. On arrival we had a nice surprise when Dan, Alaina, Dayna, and Anne greeted us at the airport. That also gave us a reason for one more restaurant meal before we headed home.

Overall, this is been a great trip. We were discussing the some of the events and places and couldn’t come up with a single favorite. All of the places we saw and things we did were fun. Seeing and visiting the Magpie group was lots of fun, and of course being with Sylvia and Roy was the icing on the cake.

This was our third trip to Australia. We have been a lot of places during our trips, including Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast, the Blue Mountains, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, Melbourne, Perth, Freemantle, Fraser Island, Margaret River, Augusta, Albany, Wave Rock, The Pinnacles. We walked at the tops of the trees (twice), and have seen lots of unusual animals and birds. And we have just scratched the surface of the variety of Australia. Australia is a great country with friendly people. Even with the long plane ride, it is well worth the effort.

We don’t know what is next for our travels, but we have some trips we are thinking about taking…..probably road trips yet this summer. So, check back periodically…….you just never know what adventure we will think up next time.